Magic Johnson and Will Ferrell pitched in as Los Angeles Football Club broke ground on its new stadium on Tuesday.
The MLS expansion franchise also revealed the name of the new venue on the site of the old Sports Arena -- Banc of California Stadium.
"From where we started to where we are today, it's exciting to know that we're going to knock the Sports Arena down, build this beautiful stadium so that soccer fans all over the city watch LA Football Club play," said Johnson.
The former NBA star and actor Ferrell, part of the club's ownership group, helped shovel out the first mound of dirt and also played for the cameras behind the controls of a backhoe.
The 22,000-seat stadium is set to be completed by the start of the 2018 season, when LAFC is set to begin playing.
The usually comedic Ferrell was completely serious as he spoke about helping the league grow into a global force.
"I think even though the MLS has gone on for 20-plus years, we're right on the cusp of breaking through to the next level," he said.
"I think it will be led by this team. Los Angeles along with being the media capital of the world is about to crystallize its hold on being the sports capital of the world. So I just think it's the right place at the right time."